InterPore2026

Experimental Characterization of Reactive Transport and Microbial Methanogenesis in Underground Hydrogen Storage Using CT-Supported Core Flooding

19 May 2026, 09:50

1h 30m

Poster Presentation (MS08) Mixing, dispersion and reaction processes across scales in heterogeneous and fractured media Poster

Speaker

Gerald Stiedl

Description

The rising demand for sustainable energy storage has positioned Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) as a potential solution for the large-scale management of highly variable renewable energy production. This technology offers the vast storage capacities required to transition toward a carbon-neutral energy infrastructure and to fulfill the European Union’s ambitious net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets.

The presented work focuses on complex reactive transport phenomena, specifically diffusive and dispersive effects, that govern the safety and efficiency of hydrogen storage within porous geological formations, such as depleted natural gas reservoirs. The experimental study investigates the interactions between the initially equilibrated subsurface system and the injected gases such as hydrogen or carbon dioxide, in the context of carbon capture and utilization/storage CC(U)S applications. These processes are analyzed on a macroscopic scale using a state-of-the-art, computed tomography (CT)-supported core flooding apparatus. Furthermore, this work addresses the intricate coupling of transport mechanisms with physical and chemical reactions, in particular, the metabolic reactions of methanogenic microorganisms. These biochemical processes convert hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane and water as a consequence of microbial activity.

With the aim of characterising reactive and mass transport mechanisms within the confined porous media under authentic reservoir conditions, a high-precision core flooding apparatus was designed and assembled. Key phenomena, including molecular diffusion, mechanical dispersion, solubility in the residual aqueous phase, and biochemical reactions, are analyzed regarding their impact on the spatiotemporal distribution of the injected components. These concentration gradients within the pore structure highly affect microbial metabolism and, thus, the growth of the biomass, which occupies the available pore space. Various experiments of increasing complexity will be conducted on representative geological rock samples to gain a holistic understanding of the different phenomena and their impact on the entire reactive system. With the combined data from in-line chemical analysis of the effluent, in-situ saturation measurements via computer tomography, density, and differential pressure measurements, the ultimate goal is to extract a robust reactive transport model that can also be extended to the field scale. The findings from this research should facilitate the optimization of UHS systems by expanding the knowledge about controlling parameters and design criteria to be applied to future field cases.